


Slow Motion Heartbreak

by Deannachu



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Cancer, M/M, Mavin, Sad, Seriously don't ignore the warnings please, X-Ray and Vav AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-29
Updated: 2014-11-29
Packaged: 2018-02-27 09:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2687933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deannachu/pseuds/Deannachu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Gavin uses his slow motion powers to slow down time to make what little Michael has left last longer. But how long can he keep this up without it destroying not just Michael, but himself in the process?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slow Motion Heartbreak

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in one hell of a writing rut lately, so I apologize in advance if this is awful. Thank you to Tumblr user FalloutMavin for this prompt. Also, I don't know personally the side effects of cancer, so I kind of used my book knowledge/movie knowledge/real life experiences to write this, so I'm sorry if it's not the greatest written out.
> 
> Also sorry not sorry for crushing feels. Love you all!

When Gavin turned eighteen years old, he expected to receive presents of video games, money, and even silly, personal gifts from his family and friends like he did every year. What he didn't plan on was, on top of the usual gifts, receiving superpowers at the exact same time.

Everything that morning was normal, or as normal as could be on a bright Saturday morning. He was roused from his bed by his mother with a "good morning love, breakfast is ready" and a kiss on the cheek, and he yawned as he barreled down the stairs and into the kitchen where his brother, his best friend Dan, and his parents were waiting for him with bright smiles on their faces. Pancakes were piled high on his plate and a tall glass of milk was set in front of him. Presents were stacked neatly at the end of the table, just begging to be opened. Gavin hurried through his food, not even caring about the stomach ache he was sure to get later, wanting to open his gifts. As expected, video games, money and gift cards to his favorite stores were part of the pile. His father had scooted back his seat to go grab one more present he forgot when he accidentally bumped into his mother, sending the glass in her hand flying. Gavin threw up his hands wildly and moved to get up... when it seemed as though the glass slowed down tremendously, floating through the air as though they were in space. 

Everyone in the room just gaped at him with open mouths, their eyes flickering back and forth between him and the glass. Finally his mother snatched the glass out of the air and placed it in the sink, giving his father a knowing look before kindly asking Dan if he wouldn't mind coming back later. Dan nodded, squeezed Gavin on the shoulder with a less cheery "Happy birthday, B" and left. His parents took two seats in front of him and held hands, his father squeezing his mother's hand reassuringly. 

They explained to Gavin that their family was special, that the males in the family, on their eighteenth birthday, would be blessed with powers beyond their wildest dreams. There wasn't really an origin to this, as Gavin was curious as to how this all started, but it was just difficult to swallow that he had actual  _powers._

His father explained that there were only three ways to rid himself of his powers: he would have to have a son, and the powers would automatically transfer on his eighteenth birthday; he would have to experience something so emotionally and physically draining that his powers vanish forever; or he could renounce his powers officially with just a few simple words. 

Gavin wasn't going to lie, he was scared shitless. He didn't know exactly what he was capable of with this new gift of his, and frankly he was afraid of hurting anyone he cared about. He voiced these concerns to his parents, and his father reassured him that he would help him learn how to control his powers as best he could. It would take a while, but Gavin was strong enough that he knew it would be a possibility. 

And he did just that. It took weeks, months, and even a few years before he fully gained control over his powers. To his disappointment, he couldn't fly, turn invisible, or teleport ("Gavin, teleportation is just something you see in Sci-Fi movies; it's not real.") but he did have the power to slow down time and he did gain a little bit of extra strength. Not Superman strength by any means, but enough that he would never have to go to the gym. 

The thought of becoming a superhero did cross his mind a few times, though he didn't tell his parents; they would think he was silly and tell him that he should focus on going to college instead of saving the world. One night, as he was walking home from Dan's, he heard a woman scream across the street. A mugger held onto her purse as she fought back valiantly, unwilling to let the thug take it. Gavin searched frantically for a policeman or someone of authority who could help but the mugger had snatched the bag and was hauling ass down the street while the woman, crying frantically, called for help.  _Time to see what you can do,_ he told himself and he lifted his hands up and waved them at the mugger, who instantly slowed down. The woman stopped crying and looked with wide eyes at Gavin who grinned sheepishly at her. She seemed to realize that the mugger wasn't going anywhere and grabbed her purse before running down the street. Gavin waved his hands again and the mugger tripped over his own two feet, looking around for whoever it was that made him slow down.

But Gavin was gone by that point, knowing that one person seeing him use his powers was enough. 

By the time Gavin was twenty-three years old, he had been using his powers in secret for a while. He had stopped countless muggings, carjackings, and even a few robberies and kidnappings, all without anyone suspecting a thing. Once or twice he had been seen by the victim, but they merely thanked him before running off. He knew he was safe from anyone discovering who he really was. 

One day, Gavin got an offer from a company in Texas to come work for them. Rooster Teeth, who produced Gavin's favorite show, Red vs. Blue, wanted  _Gavin_ to work for them. He had been talking with Burnie Burns, one of the owners of the company, for a while now, but the job offer had come unexpectedly. Of course, after discussing it with his parents, he accepted and in a few short weeks had moved to the United States and to Austin, taking up room with the founder of Achievement Hunter, Geoff Ramsey, and his wife and daughter. He told them that he would pay them, thanking them constantly for their generosity, but they waved it away and said they were glad to have him there.

He met the group of people in Achievement Hunter he would be working with: Ray, Ryan, Jack, and Michael Jones, a man with curly auburn hair, deep brown eyes, and a smile that lit up the room and made Gavin's heart beat wildly in his chest. 

"Nice to meet you," Michael said kindly, holding out his hand to the Brit. Gavin's cheeks flushed red as he shook the other man's hand, feeling a small spark as their skin collided. They each jumped back. "Sorry, I've been shocking everyone today." Michael grinned sheepishly, averting his eyes.

"N-No big deal, it's alright," Gavin murmured in response, shyly looking away. He noticed the glance that the three gents and Ray exchanged but said nothing. After a moment or two of awkward silence, Geoff clapped his hands together and announced the games they would be recording that day, as well as incorporating Gavin into a new episode of GO!

It wasn't until a few months into his employment, which felt more like a hobby than actual work, that he discovered Ray's secret. Gavin surprisingly found himself making friends with everyone in the company, going to lunch with the Achievement Hunter group, going for bevs with Barbara, Burnie, and Gus, and even going to small get togethers with other company members. He knew which buttons to push with most of the employees in order to get a reaction out of them and everyone had discovered Gavin's disdain for wet bread. He shared inside jokes with just about everyone there and he felt like he was part of one giant, fucked up family. He loved every minute of it. 

One night he was walking home from the convenience store just around the corner from the Ramsey's house, needing to pick up some milk and a couple of other groceries for Griffon. He held the bags in one hand as he lazily flipped through his phone with the other when he heard screaming. He looked up quickly and saw that a woman was pointing frantically at a man who held a large pink handbag in his meaty fist as he fled. Gavin set down his bags and was about to wave his hands at the man to stop him when a bright red laser beam came out of nowhere, burning a hole into the concrete and tripping the man, sending the bag flying. A flash of green flew from the bushes and grabbed the bag, handing it to the woman who cried happy tears.

"Oh thank you, X-Ray. Thank you," she said happily, hugging him around the neck. He patted her back, grinning awkwardly. 

"It's not a problem, ma'am. Just doing my job," he said, his voice floating to where Gavin was standing with his arms still in the air.  _That voice... I know it from somewhere... no... it can't be... is that..._

"Ray?!" Gavin shouted at the man, who looked over and noticed him staring at him, a grin forming on his face. 

"Shit," he heard him mutter before uttering a goodbye to the woman and marching over to Gavin, dragging him by the arm behind a bush. "How the fuck did you know it was me?"

"Your voice isn't exactly common, you donut," he teasingly said. "Besides... X-Ray? Not exactly a unique superhero name." Ray rolled his eyes and pressed a button on his glasses, shifting them back to his regular specs.

"Look, it's enough to mask me from people that don't know me, okay? And it's a great superhero name, what with my eyes and all."

Gavin giggled, causing Ray to frown. "What? What's so funny?"

"This," he said, waving his hands at a passing squirrel, causing it to slow down mid-run. Ray's jaw dropped, a mischievous sparkle twinkling in his eyes. Gavin smirked and waved his hands again, returning the squirrel to his normal speed.

"No fucking way, you're a superhero too?" he shouted. Gavin covered his mouth and looked around, shushing him. 

"I wouldn't exactly call myself a superhero, but yes Ray, I have powers. Now will you shut up before the entire bloody city hears you?" he hissed. Ray nodded and Gavin released his hand. "I've had these powers since I was eighteen. Not exactly as awesome as shooting lasers out of my eyes, but it works."

"Slow motion shit is so cool, though," Ray said in awe, "I mean yeah I can burn holes in things but you can actually slow down  _time._ "

"Temporarily," he corrected. "It only lasts about five minutes or so, ten if I can really focus my strength into my power."

"There's another superhero in town," Ray said, grinning. "Son of a bitch. So what's your superhero name?"

"I don't have one," Gavin admitted.

"Really?" Ray's eyebrows shot into his hairline. 

"Yeah. And I don't have a bloody leotard either," he joked, pointing at Ray's tight, bright green suit. 

"Hey, don't diss the suit," Ray said seriously. "And as for a name... hmm... how about Vav?"

"Vav?"

"Have none of your relatives ever done the whole baby talk shit where they call you "Vavvy Wavvy" or whatever?"

"I mean, when I was little I guess."

"X-Ray and Vav," Ray said, testing the duo on his tongue. "I like it." Gavin's phone chirped just then with a text from Griffon, jokingly asked if he had been kidnapped on the short walk back from the store. "Oh man, sorry, I didn't know you had to go home. Here," he picked up Gavin's bags and handed them to him, "I'll see you tomorrow, Vav." And just as quickly as he had appeared, Ray disappeared into the night.

"X-Ray and Vav," Gavin said on his way home. 

* * *

While Ray and Gavin had grown significantly closer through the discovery that both had powers, Michael and Gavin had formed a bond of their own as well. It started with the two being asked to play Slender by Geoff for a new Rage Quit, and it exploded from there. The fans enjoyed their interaction, with Michael yelling at Gavin and Gavin's high pitched screaming in fear. Next came Surgeon Simulator, which had all of the fans dying with laughter, and soon the two began hanging out outside of work for their usual swimmies and bevs. The two would just laugh about anything and everything, and as time passed, Gavin would notice all of these small things about Michael that caused his palms to sweat and the butterflies in his stomach to just go crazy. 

It was during a Let's Play recording that the two got closer than ever.

They were playing Minecraft, and Gavin's character had just died for the tenth time in the hour they had been recording. Michael giggled, Ryan cackled, and Ray swore vengeance on team 'Crazy Mad' as they were called. Suddenly, Gavin felt a tickle on his right hand. He absentmindedly started to scratch, but when his fingers came into contact with something small and hairy, he looked down and saw a furry spider perched nicely on the space between his thumb and his pointer finger. His eyes widened and his voice caught in his throat before he threw his controlled and jumped into Michael's lap, causing him to throw his controller as well.

"Gavin! Gav, what is it?" he yelled, wrapping his arms around the lanky man's waist, looking for whatever it was that scared him to badly he leaped out of his chair. Gavin sputtered and pointed to the hairy intruder scuttling across the floor towards Jack's desk. Jack promptly stuck his foot out and smushed it. Gavin tucked his face into the crook of Michael's next and cowered. "You're afraid of _spiders_?" Michael laughed not unkindly. 

"Nothing should have eight legs and too many eyes," he squeaked into his neck. Michael's arms tightened protectively around the Brit.

"You're so cute when you're scared," he heard Michael whisper, causing Gavin to freeze and pull away, looking into Michael's eyes, a hint of a smile forming on his face.

"What was that?" he asked, sure he didn't hear that right. Michael smirked.

"You heard me," he whispered.

"Oh for fucks sake, just bang already," Ray said, grinning at the pair.

"Kiss already, assholes, so we can finish this Let's Play," Geoff grumbled, secretly smiling at the two idiots. He knew that they had feelings for each other, and he thought it was about damn time that something happened.

Everyone returned to their desks and finished filming, though Gavin's mind was elsewhere. He and Michael snuck peeks at each other during the game and each time the smiles on their faces grew.

At the end of the day, after everyone had packed up and Geoff told Gavin he'd be waiting outside in the car, Michael and Gavin were the only two left in the office.

"So, Gav," Michael started, running a nervous hand through his hair.

"Yes, Michael?" Gavin asked, smiling at the boy's nervous habit. He longed to run his own hand through those soft, curly locks.

"Would you... maybe want to go on a date with me some time?" he asked quickly, looking down at his shoes and blushing. Gavin crossed the room and put his hands on Michael's shoulders, looking into his eyes and beaming.

 "Of course," he said warmly, planting a swift kiss on Michael's lips, which Michael was quick to return, wrapping his own arms around Gavin's waist. 

* * *

From that point on, the two were inseparable. 

From their first date, in which Gavin insisted cooking a meal for Michael which ended up in burned chicken, lots of swearing from both Gavin and Michael, and the two just giving up and ordering pizza instead, to the moment after a round of swimmies and bevs where Michael asked Gavin to officially be his boyfriend, Gavin felt as though he was on Cloud Nine. 

When he and Ray would patrol at night, looking for crime they could stop, they would talk about his and Michael's relationship, as well as Ray's with a very pretty girl named Tina. Gavin still hadn't told Michael about his powers, and Ray hadn't told Tina either. 

"I'm just waiting for the right time," he explained as they walked around town. "I don't want to scare her away; I don't want her to think I'm a freak. I really like her."

"I don't think she'll think you're a freak; she'll think it's bloody hot that she's dating a superhero," Gavin joked, grinning. Ray chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, you're right, you're right," Ray agreed. They walked along silently for a while, when, "So has Michael told you about his illness yet?" Ray slapped his hands over his mouth when Gavin whirled on him, shock evident on his face.

"What illness?" Gavin shouted, fear racing through his veins like ice. Ray bit his lip, looking down at the pavement. Gavin grabbed his shoulders and shook him frantically. "WHAT ILLNESS, RAY?"

"I..." Ray sighed, taking off his costume and revealing his plainclothes underneath. "You didn't hear it from me, but, Gavin... Michael has cancer. Found out two weeks ago."

Gavin's heart fell from his chest and shattered into a million pieces. "No... no..." Ray tried to put a hand on his shoulder but Gavin shrugged it away, taking off his Vav outfit and walking in the direction of Michael's apartment. 

When he arrived at the door, he knocked gently in case the man was asleep. The door swiftly opened, revealing a pale but bright-eyed Michael. "Gavin! Hey, you. I was just thinking about-" His face fell as he took in Gavin's fearful expression. "Who told you?"

"Ray," Gavin said softly, walking into his apartment. Michael shut the door and turned around to face him, his lips trembling.

"Gavin-"

"When were you going to tell me? When you started losing your hair? When you stopped coming into work? When... when you..." Gavin sat down behind the sofa and put his face in his hands. He felt Michael slide down beside him and wrap his arms around him, pulling him close. 

"I was going to tell you after the doctor told me exactly what kind I had and what treatment options were available for me," Michael muttered. "I didn't want you to worry."

"Well it's too bloody late for that!" Gavin shouted, tears pouring down his cheeks. He wiped at his face and took a couple of staggering breaths. "What did he say?"

With five words, Gavin's whole world came crashing down.

"It's an inoperable brain tumor."

Gavin felt as though the air was knocked out of his lungs. A sharp pain pierced his heart as the realization settled in his mind. "No, no, no..." Michael pulled Gavin to him and rocked him, shushing him as though he were a small child.

"Don't cry, Gav. Please don't cry."

"But Michael, I love you," he cried, causing Michael to pull away. 

"You... you love me?" he asked, bewildered. Gavin nodded.

"With all my heart."

Michael pulled Gavin to him and their lips met passionately, Gavin's tears mixing in with their intermingling breaths and tongues. Gavin had never loved anyone the way he loved this man, and now he was going to be taken from him soon. It wasn't fair. "Not fair," he mumbled in a ragged gasp against Michael's lips. His lips quirked into a sad smile. 

"I know, love. I know," he whispered, kissing Gavin on the forehead. 

"How long?" he asked. 

"Gav-"

"How. Long?" 

Michael sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, a tear escaping down his cheek. "Three months. Give or take a week." 

Three months. Three months to spend with the love of his life. It might as well have been three minutes, as Gavin spent the rest of the night crying in Michael's arms, falling asleep to the sound of his heart breaking in two.

* * *

Michael gradually became weaker over the next couple of months. He could barely stand up to walk anywhere, and laughing even for a moment would leave him out of breath. He had constant migraines as the tumor pressed against his brain and grew in size. Soon he was reduced to a wheelchair, and then he could no longer come into work. Gavin refused to leave his side. 

It was during one of these stays with him that he absentmindedly waved his hand over Michael, causing him to slow down. He was trying to play a video game and Gavin was watching to make sure he didn't exert himself too much, and when he slowed Michael down, Gavin realized that this could be a way to stretch the last moments he would ever have with Michael just a little bit farther. He vowed to find a way to make it last longer than ten minutes.

Soon, when he concentrated as much as his mind would allow, he could make it last half an hour, then an hour, and on a really good day, Gavin could keep Michael in a slow motion bubble for as long as six hours.  _That's six more hours I'll have with him._

He slipped up one day, using his powers in front of Michael to save his can of Coke from falling off of the coffee table. He thought Michael was napping, but once Gavin had caught the falling can, he heard Michael's weak voice pipe up, "What the fuck was that?"

"M-Michael, I thought you were s-sleeping," Gavin stuttered. Michael coughed and narrowed his eyes.

"How the fuck did you do that?" 

"I-" Gavin sighed. "I've got powers."

"Since... since when?"

"Since I was eighteen. I can slow things, people, down," he told him. Michael's eyes widened as far as they would allow.

"You can slow people down?" Gavin nodded. "So is that why I've got huge gaps in my memory?" 

"W-what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Michael snapped. "There have been times when we've been playing a game and then all of a sudden four hours have passed. At first I thought it was just the tumor, but now I'm not so sure."

"Michael, please... please don't be angry with me." Gavin sighed, running his hands over his face. "I just... I want more time with you, that's all."

"Gavin..." Michael sighed, wincing as he shifted closer to him, clearly struggling. "I know it's hard. I want more time with you, too. But... is that really the best thing? You're just... prolonging the inevitable."

"I know, I know," Gavin said, defeated. "I just don't want to lose you. I haven't even had you for a year yet and already you're going to leave me."

"I'm not leaving you without a fight, Gav," Michael joked, coughing and wincing at the same time. Gavin frantically grabbed a glass of water and let Michael drink for a while. "I can promise you that."

Gavin curled around Michael for the rest of the night and fell asleep to the sound of Michael's heart weakly beating in his chest.

* * *

 

Michael refused to go to a hospital until, making Gavin swear that unless he begged him or he was bleeding or unconscious that he wouldn't take him there. "I don't want to live the last few weeks of my life hooked up to machines and in a sterile room. I want to spend it here, in my apartment, with the sun shining through  _my_ window and you here by my side." 

Soon Michael was too weak to leave his bed, and time passed, Gavin knew that it wouldn't be long before he would never smile, laugh, or speak ever again. 

Gavin, making a last-ditch effort to keep Michael around as long as he could, focused all of the energy in his body and his mind, and created a slow motion time bubble that encompassed Michael's sleeping form. He felt the breath go out of him and his muscles felt limp, his mind reeling painfully. But he wouldn't let it deter him.  _I have to keep Michael alive, I just have to... I don't want to see a world without him..._

The bubble took all of Gavin's energy and strength, and after the seventh day of it, Ray came bursting frantically into Michael's apartment, looking everywhere before storming into Michael's bedroom and seeing Gavin, weak and pale as Michael, sitting beside him, still in the slow motion bubble. "Vav... what are you doing?" Ray asked softly, taking in the sight. 

"Have to... keep him... alive... just a ... little bit longer..." Gavin managed to say, holding Michael's freezing hand in both of his own. Ray knelt beside Gavin and Gavin moved his head to look at him. Ray was taken aback by the dead, hopeless look in Gavin's eyes and the hollows surrounding them. 

"Gavin... you have to let him go. Man, this is killing you," Ray said, squeezing Gavin's arm. "What does this accomplish? Say Michael does live longer than what the doctor said, but in the end it's going to kill you and then he's going to die too once the bubble wears off."

"Had to..." Gavin felt a cold tear roll down his face. "...try. I don't... want him to go." Tears poured down his face one by one until Gavin's cries turned into hiccuping sobs and he laid his face down beside Michael's slow-moving form. 

"I know you don't, Vav," Ray whispered. "But you have to. Even superheros don't win all of their battles."

Gavin lifted his head and looked at Ray before looking at Michael. He held up his hands and waved them, releasing Michael from his slow motion state. Michael gasped for breath, coughing frantically and sputtering. 

"Gavin..." he muttered. Ray was on the phone with 911, but Gavin knew Michael would be gone by the time they got there.

"Yes, love? I'm here," he said weakly, feeling strength flood back into his muscles. He held Michael's icy hands and caressed his face. Michael's muddy eyes looked at him from their sunken hollows and he smiled softly at him. 

"Never forget... I will always love you..." he said quietly, squeezing Gavin's hand one last time before he moved no more. 

"And I will always love you too," Gavin sobbed, feeling Ray rubbing his back and hearing him cry a little. Gavin stood up after a while, backing his chair into their dresser and sending a picture frame of him and Michael to the ground. Gavin waved his hands to slow it down, but nothing happened. 

He remember what his father told him when he first got his powers.  _"If you experience something that drains your strength physically, mentally, and emotionally to the point where you're on the brink of death, you will lose your powers."_

_"What causes something like that, dad?" he asked curiously._

_His father looked at him thoughtfully, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The loss of a loved one."_

"Vav, what's wrong with your powers?" Ray asked weakly. 

Gavin heard the ambulance in the distance and walked slowly away from Michael's body, the image of his love burned in his mind forever.

"They died when Michael died."

 

 

 


End file.
